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In 2011 , Ho purchased an R35 chassis ’ 09 GTR , primarily because he liked its potential and knew the allwheel-drive platform was a better choice for his needs . “ I went out to California to look at it and brought it home ,” he recalls of the fateful trip that set in motion a build of epic proportions . The car had already been upgraded with a built motor and GReddy turbo kit , but Ho had bigger plans for it .
Unfortunately , with the purchase of the GTR , he inherited someone else ’ s problems and soon after taking possession , a turbine wheel broke , causing a tremendous amount of internal engine damage . He had to rebuild the entire motor as a result , but knew the perfect place to task with his car ’ s overhaul . “ I had been with Tony [ Palo ] of T1 Race Development in Rockwall , Texas , since my Honda days . He decided to go into the GTR scene and it worked out ,” Ho says of his relationship with the record-setting and storied Honda guru .
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It took almost a year for the first phase of Ho ’ s GTR upgrade to be completed , consisting mostly of power train improvements . The original twin-turbo configuration was retained ; however , the 3.8L V6 VR38DETT engine onto which the turbochargers were bolted was completely rebuilt . Brandon Jackson and Terrence Cox from T1 were tasked with the actual build of the GT1R short block , while necessary machine work was performed by Watt ’ s Shop .
Internal fortifications consisted of Manley pistons and rods on the bottom , pushing a 10:1 compression ratio , while the heads were filled with Ferrea valve springs , oversized stainless steel valves , titanium retainers , bronze valve guides , GT1Rspec Kelford cams , and more . In order to make sure the GTR had an ample air supply , a Wilson intake manifold was selected while three Walbro 485 l / h fuel pumps feed six 2,000 cc Injector Dynamics fuel injectors . Bolted to the engine is a stage 4 transmission from the GTR
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experts at Shepherd Transmission in Ohio with a matching , custom Shep / Dodson Pro Max clutch .
Given that the GTR handles great straight from the factory , Ho made only minor updates by way of adding Swift sport springs and Stillen front and rear sway bars .
When it came to selecting parts , Ho ’ s plan was simple : “ Buy the best that I can for whatever power I ’ m working with so that I don ’ t have to buy anything again ! I wanted the GTR to be an all-around car with decent power ; a street car , a drag car , and something I could take to the road race track if I wanted . If I were to do it all over , I ’ d probably start with a stock car , but then I wouldn ’ t be as far along as I am now ,” Ho says of what it has been like working with a previous owner ’ s build .
Although he hasn ’ t had to touch the incredibly reliable engine since its rebuild in 2012 , early last year Ho continued with the next phase of
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his project . Gone was the old GReddy turbo kit in favor of a new kit with Forced Performance GT35Rbased , ball-bearing boost units bolted to a kit from Extreme Turbo Systems along with TiAL wastegates and blow-off valves .
Ho ’ s philosophy of “ do it right the first time ” is evident in his selection of an engine management system . Early on , Ho was running a Cobb Tuning unit , but eventually realized that inconsistency with traction and launch control in the early software wasn ’ t what he needed for drag racing . “ We would get weird numbers all the time and when we switched to the ETS turbo kit , Tony [ Palo ] told me to switch to MoTeC , and it ’ s been a lot better ever since ,” he says of his tuner ’ s safe advice . “ I wish I had done it a long time ago ! It dead hooks every time now !”
Although he was originally looking for about 1,200 horsepower , Ho ’ s GTR well surpassed that expectation . Easily eclipsing the GTR ’ s stock 545 horsepower and 463 foot-pounds
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64 STREETRACE |